History of Biala Podlaska

World War II halted the town's development because of the Nazi and Soviet repressions. The Germans captured Biała Podlaska on 13 September 1939, but withdrew on 26 September to allow the Soviets to station in the town; however, on 10 October 1939, in accordance with the terms of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the Soviets departed and the town was reoccupied by the Germans. By that time, the Soviets have already managed to completely plunder the Poland's airplane factory, so that nothing but empty buildings remained. After Germany attacked their Soviet ally in Operation Barbarossa, war prisoner camp had been set up around Biała Podlaska, where Soviet POWs were killed.

In the postwar period and until today, Biała Podlaska has been developing into a more modern city but still retains many of the original features in the central Polish old town of the city. From 1975 to 1999 Biała Podlaska was a capital of the voivodeship, later it again became a city county, like before 1975